As students grow older, they will be assigned an appropriate amount of responsibilities, such as schoolwork and projects; even some that are meant to be completed by the first day of school. Summer project can be intimidating to some students, however, summer projects are only meant to benefit the students. The benefits of summer projects include: the continuation of study and time management skills, as well as reading and writing. There is a simple solution that could be put in effect by the school officials and administration; allowing students to design their own projects based off a topic that peaks their interest. Allowing students to design their own projects will significantly increase the interest level and positive feedback that will be the deciding factor in whether or not the project is assigned the next year. The interest level and feedback received will be based off of the following: if students are given the opportunity to conduct research that they find intriguing, not what their teacher finds intriguing; their final project will be significantly better than if the project was teacher-designed. Summer projects should be student-designed in order to allow students to focus on a topic that they are passionate about, to allow students to continue learning important skills, and to allow students to share a topic that they find interesting.

Discovering passions may be difficult at a young age, however, if students are given the opportunity to focus on a topic that they find passion in, it will create a well-done project. Passions could include: athletics, academics, or an extra curricular; such as music, band, or the arts. A student-designed project will let students study a topic that they are interested in. If students are interested in what they are studying or researching, then there is a increased chance of students truly enjoying the project. As mentioned about, a student-designed project will allow for a quality project. The more say students have regarding their schoolwork, the better the outcome of that work. Personally, when given the chance to chose the topic or project guideline, there is a much better result than when given a strict outline. Typically, summer projects appear to be a burden for some students, however, students will not see a project about their passions as a concern.

Student-designed projects will allow students to learn important skills that are relevant to both them and their learning styles. Study skills, such as spacing out workdays and time management, are skills that students will continue to use as they further their education. Scheduling workdays is a simple way to reduce stress, and a way for students to not feel overwhelmed. Time management goes along with spacing out workdays because it will prevent students from cramming in the project the night before it is due. If students leave the project until the last minute, the result will not be pleasing and it would be a waste of an opportunity for students to find one of their true passions. Students will also be given the opportunity to learn the proper way to research their topic. This is yet another skill that students will use as they continue their education. Learning how to start researching and then learning what can be cut out is a challenging process that students can learn through the process of trial and error. Students will be able to take the research from various reliable resources, and develop their project, while learning an additional skill: project design. Designing a project so it is appealing to most and finding what is most convenient for you is important because it will allow future projects to be completed in an effective and efficient manner.

Student-designed project will also allow students to get to know each other, work on public speaking and presentation skills, and will show students topics of interest. Projects that are controlled by the student will allow icebreaker activities to run smoothly. Icebreaker activities are typically included in the first day of school, and they allow students to get to know each other and their teacher. If every student came prepared to share their presentation, they they would not only learn something about their fellow classmates, but they would also get the chance to work on their public speaking and presentation skills. Public speaking may be one of the most relevant and commonly used skills as you enter higher education and the workforce, as it is something that is hard to avoid. The more it is practiced, the more comfortable people, in this case, student will get with it. Students can also use this project as a starting to point to see where they might what to take their future. Deciding classes for the next school year, or even thinking about a college major can be difficult and intimidating. However, if students know their passions and interests, then the process will seem significantly less worrisome. A way to reduce the stress on making decision such as classes or college, is to let students discover their interests through student-designed projects.

If summer projects are fully designed by students, then students will be able to focus on their passions, improve their study skills, and share a topic that they find interesting. Revealing the topics that students find passion in will lead to a quality projects, a head start in determining courses and majors, and will serve as a way to learn necessary skills for college and the workforce. The more opportunities students are given to decide what they want to study or complete a project about will allow students to find those passions, such as sports, a specific class, or a certain type of art or drama. Student-designed project will also let students learn the skills that are most useful for them, for instance: time management or public speaking. Most importantly, students will be able to discover who they truly are through a project that they design. 